194 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



diffused and of a grayish hue, though always more distinct 

 toward the tail. 



A few years ago it was thought that the habitat of the Mas- 

 calonge was confined to the Great Lakes and the St. Law- 

 rence River and its tributaries, and that it occurred nowhere 

 outside of these limits. As shown above, however, it is now 

 known that its range is much more extensive. It was also 

 supposed that in all cases the Mascalonge was always dark- 

 spotted on a lighter-colored ground; but as already stated, 

 while the young are always thus marked, these dark spots 

 become more or less obscure or obsolete with age, and the 

 largest specimens will exhibit a uniform grayish coloration, 

 with brownish or greenish reflections. I have seen large exam- 

 ples from the St. Lawrence basin that were apparently iden- 

 tical in color with others from Eagle Waters and the Upper 

 Mississippi of similar size and weight. 



In the Pike or northern Pickerel, the sides of old and 

 young are always covered with oval whitish or yellowish 

 spots, always lighter than the ground color, which is usually 

 grayish or olivaceous. 



In 1820, Rafinesque mentioned two Pikes as existing in the 

 Ohio and Mississippi basins {Esox vittatus and Esox sal- 

 moneus), growing to a length of from three to five feet, and 

 though his descriptions are very imperfect, almost worthless 

 in fact, I am confident that he had in mind the Mascalonge, 

 which was more plentiful there at that time than now. 



The Mascalonge, like all of the Pike family, is a typically 

 piscivorous fish, its large mouth, jaws and tongue being armed 

 with a terrible array of long, sharp and conical teeth of vari- 

 ous sizes, forming veritable chevaux-de-frise from which 

 there is no escape for the unlucky fish that is so unfortunate 

 as to be seized by the cruel and relentless jaws. 



Like all animals of prey, the Mascalonge is solitary in its 

 habits, lying concealed among the water-plants and bull- 

 rushes at the edges of the streams or channels, or along the 



